Yet another chapter of Tales from Training! I might take a week's break from this to write another fluffy one-shot thing, like Blonde on Blond, so don't be disappointed if this doesn't update next week.
Make sure to check out my other stories! They're all pretty good, if I do say so myself.
Tales from Training
Chapter 2: Boys Night Out
Treeborn Dreamer
Raucous laughter sounded from the onsen as the sun drew to its highest peak on the most temperate day of the summer, and the gathered five men, as well as one dog, wiped sweat from their brow.
"Choji, you're so full of crap! There's no way that happened." Naruto gasped through his laughter, tears rolling down his cheek as he clutched his sides. Across the pool, his large friend nodded his head sagely, a smile barely held back.
"It is true, my dear friends. And when the young lady turned back to offer her sincerest thanks, I had already vanished into the night, a shadow across the forest floor." He folded his arms in front of him and straightened his back, drawing himself up to his fullest height.
"Choji does not seem to be telling falsehoods." Shino stated, his signature sunglasses fogged up from the heat of the onsen. "However improbable, it seems that he both is not lying and that he truly has the most impressive true story out of all of us so far." Shikamaru, immediately to Shino's right and on Choji's left, nodded lazily.
"Choji is the worst liar I've ever met; he gets a bad case of the giggles when he's full of bull. I believe him." Shikamaru yawned. "As much of a drag as it is, he beat my story easily." Kiba, seated across from Shikamaru, scratched Akamaru behind the ear and turned to Naruto.
"Well, that leaves you Naruto." Naruto's eyes went wide, and he felt the eyes of every one of his comrades on him. "When did you first get it on?"
Naruto closed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of him.
"Alright, but be prepared to be blown away! I was out training with the ero-sennin, in the Ta no Kuni..."
"Ero-sennin and I had been here before, about a year and a half ago at that point, and we had disrupted Orochimaru's base of operations there. Still, as we were traveling, ero-sennin couldn't help but be curious about how the country was running, without Orochimaru running things from the shadows. Me, I think he was just looking to do more research than anything else, but he dragged me there anyway, and for once he was actually training me, so I didn't mind too much.
"We arrived in town, and the place already looked a hundred times better than it had the last time we were there; the main street was crowded, merchants were busy, and the buildings didn't look so run-down any more.
"Ero-sennin and I checked into a hotel, and he started trying to bum some money off of me before I walked out of the lobby; let the cheap old man spend his own money on girls and sake.
"I walked down the streets, practicing a new technique he was teaching me; feed your chakra into the ground through the soles of your feet, and keep constant guard as to who is near you and what they're doing.
"As I'm doing this, I notice that three pairs of feet are following me, taking the same turns, stopping when I stop to look at something, and always keeping a decent distance, staying about fifteen yards behind me at all times. At first, I think it's just a coincedence, but after a while my fears are confirmed: I'm being tailed.
"I start doing some basic evasive maneuvers, but these guys are good and they stay on my trail, getting a bit close for comfort. So I did what any sane shinobi would do: I walked out of town."
"Now hold on a minute!" Kiba interrupted, pulling his hand off of Akamaru's belly and pointing it at Naruto accusingly. "Three guys are following you, and you leave the protection of the crowd? You really are dumber than you look!" Naruto growled.
"Whenever I get into a fight, the entire damn area gets blown all to hell! I didn't want anyone hurt because I got into a three-on-one brawl in the center of town!" Shino glared at Kiba, and Kiba sat back.
"Let Naruto finish for once, Kiba."
"Thank you Shino. Now, where was I... Oh yeah!"
"As soon as I'm sure we're far enough away, I stop and say, 'I know you're following me, so if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!' and I whip around, drawing a kunai.
"Just in time, too, as about a hundred shuriken fly at me from the nearby trees. I dodge or block most of them, but a few get through and cut up my jacket nearly to shreds. I make a couple of kage bunshin, and send them out into the trees to find out who's attacking me. The forest is really quiet, and I'm looking all around as I wait for my clones to find something and report back, when all of a sudden, every single one of them poofs out of existence.
"I hear a rustling behind me, and when I turn around I get tackled and wrestled to the ground, someone sitting on my stomach and pinning my arms above my head, and some long, orange hair tickles me in the face as I hear, 'Hey, Naruto-kun!'
"I was inches away from the face of one of the prettiest girls I've seen outside the village, and that's saying a lot. Her hair was long, almost down to her thighs, and orange, a few shades darker than my clothing. She had huge brown eyes, and a mischievous smile as she sat on my chest. 'Don't you remember me, Naruto-kun?'
"'Sasame!' I'd met this girl on that mission with ero-sennin about that I was telling you guys about earlier, when we were first tracking Sasuke, and those eighteen months had done quite a number on her; her chest had grown quite considerably, though not too large, and her face had gotten a bit softer-looking around the edges. I was floored, and she probably noticed, as she blushed and got off of me.
"'Great to see you, Naruto-kun,' she said as she held out her hand and I took it, pulling myself back to my feet and checking out how I looked; my jacket was dirty and shredded, so I reluctantly pulled it off. 'You need to visit us more of...ten...' and she trailed off, distracted by something, but before I could figure out where she was looking, she shook her head and smiled some more.
"'Well, I was busy running missions for the village, but now I'm out traveling and training with the ero-sennin for a few years, help get me to top form as a ninja.' I folded the remains of my jacket, then an idea jumped into my head. 'Hey, wait a second, what happened to those three thuggy guys?'
"'Oh, those were part of my ninjutsu!' she smiled really widely as she spoke, and I couldn't help but stare at her as she told me about her special ninjutsu that her clan had helped her develop. Really can't tell you guys much more than that, she swore me to secrecy about the fine details until she perfected it.
"We talked for hours, and she kept apologizing for ripping my jacket while staring at me, and I felt a little bit embarrassed by it, to tell you the truth. So, when the sun started to go down, the temperatures dropped, she offered to take me to replace my jacket and I agreed, intending on buying it after I had it finished.
"Well, it turns out that a member of her clan named Homura, yeah just like the old lady on the council, was an expert at sewing new clothes, so I stood in her home, shirtless, as an old woman took my measurements. Sasame chatted as this happened, and as she did her glances at my chest turned into stares.
"Finally, the old woman was finished, and she asked me what color I would like my new jumpsuit in. Of course I said orange, just like the old one, but I decided that black looked better as a secondary color and told her so. She flashed through some hand signs, there was a bang and a puff of smoke, and the jumpsuit you have seen me wearing was folded neatly on the floor in front of me. Before I could say thanks, the old woman had scurried out of the room, shutting the door behind her and leaving Sasame and I alone together.
"And just as soon as the door closed, she jumped me. And there you have it." Naruto grinned and laid back, oblivious to the looks on his friends faces.
"You bastard!" Kiba erupted, throwing a wild punch that connected with Naruto's jaw and sent him flying out of the pool. "You made us wait all that time for that little payoff?"
"That was weak, Naruto." Shikamaru yawned. "All that setup, and that was your ending? What a drag." Naruto shook his head and flared his nostrils.
"So what? You guys want me to go in-depth about it? You all did the same damn thing!" Choji nodded slowly.
"I understand. Story-telling is a sacred art, and must be afforded the respect that it deserves. Naruto immersed us in his experience, and for a short while, we all were Naruto. Truly, this is a moment for us to remember." Shikamaru cracked an eye open as the others stared at Choji. Choji shrugged.
"What? Stories are my thing." The group laughed, and Shino turned to look at Naruto, who was crawling back into the water.
"So what happened afterwards, Naruto?"
"Well..."
"I woke up on the floor the next morning, exhausted and slightly sweaty, with Sasame asleep on my chest and her hand on my stomach, and I smiled as I stared up at the ceiling: the room was peaceful, the moment blissful.
"'Sasame-chan?' I nudged her and she opened her eyes slowly, meeting my look and smiling softly as she sat up and stretched.
"'Good morning, Naruto-kun. Did you sleep well?' I nodded as I stood up, looking around the room for my pants. 'I know you can't stay, Naruto-kun, but can you promise me something?' I looked at her, and saw her looking at the floor, her arms folded in front of her chest.
"'What, Sasame-chan?'
"'Come back soon.'"
"And I took her in my arms and held her for a while before I got dressed, kissed her one last time, and left to find ero-sennin grinning like an idiot at my new wardrobe and my being gone all night. He was, and I quote, 'so proud, always knew I had it in me.'" Naruto finished, leaning back. "Now, last but not least, your turn Shino." Shino coughed, and sat up straight as the sun began to climb down towards the horizon.